title: [Celiac disease: diagnosis prevalence in a community hospital].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Celiac disease (CD) is a gluten-sensitive enteropathy characterized by a chronic injury of the small bowel, caused by gluten intolerance in genetically predisposed individuals. The different forms of presentation of CD resemble more a multisystem disorder than a primary gastrointestinal disease and it is frequently underdiagnosed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of CD diagnosis in the population of affiliates to the HMO of the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cross sectional study, using secondary databases of diagnosis and laboratory from the electronic medical record (EMR) in a HMO population between 1998 and 2006. The criteria used to define a case was based on a diagnosis of CD in the EMR and/or a IgA antitransglutaminase antibodies value >15 AU/mL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to these criteria, 283 patients with CD were identified in 128,748 individuals of the HMO. The prevalence of CD was 0.22%. The mean age of this group was of 42.3 years, and 80.2% of them were female.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a primary care HMO setting, using secondary databases from EMR we found 1 case of celiac disease every 470 affiliates, giving a prevalence of 0.22%. The rate between serological prevalence of CD and clinical diagnosis carried out in our center was near 3.3 to 1. Although this level of diagnosis could be considered relatively high, an important proportion of patients are left without diagnosis, considering the local estimated prevalence reported using serological tests. An increased level of awareness and clinical suspicion is needed at the primary care level.
authors.affiliation: Programas Médicos del Plan de Salud, Hospital Italiano, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. carolina.begue@hospitalitaliano.org.ar
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Begué
authors.forename: Andrea G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Beratarrechea
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varela
authors.forename: Héctor L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Piccioni
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rodota
authors.forename: María Eugenia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Maria Florencia
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Koll
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bustos
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dawidowski
authors.forename: Esteban
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Langlois
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marchetti
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: De Paula
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006764:Hospitals, Community; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000276:immunology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D011503:Transglutaminases